11-17-2007, 07:52 PM
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/...57617.html
Social skills training helpful for autistic teens
Thursday, November 15, 2007
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Social skills training can help adolescents with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome improve their social skills and these group sessions can also help reduce autism-related behavior problems, a new study shows.
"The apparent efficacy of this simple, low-cost intervention suggests that the social deficits of adolescents with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism can be readily addressed," Dr. Eric Fombonne of McGill University Health Center in Montreal and colleagues conclude.
Individuals with autism have difficulty communicating and interacting with others, making it difficult for them to form relationships, Fombonne and his team explain in their report in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. This may be a particular problem for adolescents with high-functioning autism, who "become more keenly aware of the difficulties they encounter when interacting with their peers."
"At a time when 'fitting in' is of overriding importance," the researchers write, "these young people may find themselves isolated, rejected or even bullied at school."
A number of approaches have been developed to help autistic teens learn social skills, but few studies have looked at how well such efforts work. To better understand the effectiveness of such interventions, Fombonne and his team surveyed 46 teens between 13 and 18 years old and their parents before and after participating in 12 weekly group sessions.
The 90 minute sessions included instruction and practice in politeness; making conversation; understanding the feelings of others as well as their own; and how to respond to being teased or bullied, along with other skills.
After the program, the participants showed significant improvements in their social competence, as well as a reduction in problem behaviors such as anxiety, difficulty controlling mood, self-isolation, and repetitive and self-injurious actions, the researchers found. The adolescents actually reported a greater degree of improvement than their parents had observed.
"The results of this preliminary study indicate that social skills groups can be an effective way of helping verbal adolescents with autism spectrum disorders to develop comfort and confidence in social interactions," Fombonne and his colleagues state. They call for additional, larger studies including groups that don't receive training to further evaluate the effectiveness of such programs.
SOURCE: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, November 2007.
Reuters Health
*beep* This is erkolos speaking!
Anyone with experience who can tell what such programs are?
Social skills training helpful for autistic teens
Thursday, November 15, 2007
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Social skills training can help adolescents with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome improve their social skills and these group sessions can also help reduce autism-related behavior problems, a new study shows.
"The apparent efficacy of this simple, low-cost intervention suggests that the social deficits of adolescents with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism can be readily addressed," Dr. Eric Fombonne of McGill University Health Center in Montreal and colleagues conclude.
Individuals with autism have difficulty communicating and interacting with others, making it difficult for them to form relationships, Fombonne and his team explain in their report in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. This may be a particular problem for adolescents with high-functioning autism, who "become more keenly aware of the difficulties they encounter when interacting with their peers."
"At a time when 'fitting in' is of overriding importance," the researchers write, "these young people may find themselves isolated, rejected or even bullied at school."
A number of approaches have been developed to help autistic teens learn social skills, but few studies have looked at how well such efforts work. To better understand the effectiveness of such interventions, Fombonne and his team surveyed 46 teens between 13 and 18 years old and their parents before and after participating in 12 weekly group sessions.
The 90 minute sessions included instruction and practice in politeness; making conversation; understanding the feelings of others as well as their own; and how to respond to being teased or bullied, along with other skills.
After the program, the participants showed significant improvements in their social competence, as well as a reduction in problem behaviors such as anxiety, difficulty controlling mood, self-isolation, and repetitive and self-injurious actions, the researchers found. The adolescents actually reported a greater degree of improvement than their parents had observed.
"The results of this preliminary study indicate that social skills groups can be an effective way of helping verbal adolescents with autism spectrum disorders to develop comfort and confidence in social interactions," Fombonne and his colleagues state. They call for additional, larger studies including groups that don't receive training to further evaluate the effectiveness of such programs.
SOURCE: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, November 2007.
Reuters Health
*beep* This is erkolos speaking!
Anyone with experience who can tell what such programs are?